256-QAM subcarrier transmission using coding and optical intensity modulation in distribution networks

Fiber-optic transmission of 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals at both 10 Mb/s and 50 Mb/s transmission rates are presented. Theoretical and preliminary experimental bit error rate (BER) performance results are described for two types of 256-QAM signals. Application of error correction coding using a BCH code is very effective in optical analog intensity modulation. It is feasible to use 256-QAM signals as subcarriers in fiber distribution networks.<<ETX>>